Lewis Hamilton

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Lore & Background

Hamilton's path began in karting at age six, where he won national titles despite facing racist abuse as the only black child at his club. His father, Anthony, took redundancy from his IT job to fund Lewis's career, working multiple jobs including as a dishwasher and estate agent sign-poster. At ten, Hamilton became the youngest British cadet champion. In 1998, McLaren boss Ron Dennis fulfilled a promise made years earlier, signing him to their Young Driver Programme. He progressed through Formula Renault UK (2004 champion) and GP2 (2006 champion), beating future rival Nico Rosberg in both junior series. His debut season with McLaren in 2007 saw him finish runner-up by a single point to Kimi Räikkönen while winning four races.

In Their Own Story

The 2008 season concluded on a dramatic last lap at the Brazilian Grand Prix, where Hamilton overtook Timo Glock on wet tarmac to secure his maiden title as the then-youngest World Drivers' Champion. At Mercedes, he and teammate Nico Rosberg won 51 of 59 races between 2014 and 2016 amidst a fierce rivalry that saw Hamilton claim titles in 2014 and 2015 while Rosberg took the 2016 crown before retiring. Hamilton then faced Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari, overturning mid-season deficits to win the 2017 and 2018 championships. In 2020, he broke Michael Schumacher's all-time win record at the Portuguese Grand Prix and equaled his seven-title tally. The 2021 season ended in controversy with a disputed finish against Max Verstappen, followed by winless years in 2022 and 2023 before his historic ninth British GP victory in 2024.

Reader's Guide

Hamilton entered Formula One as the first black driver at the Australian Grand Prix in 2007. His rookie campaign was historic, setting records while finishing second to Kimi Räikkönen by just one point. He won his first title in 2008 with McLaren, becoming the youngest champion at that time. After four more seasons with McLaren, including a four-way title battle in 2010, he joined Mercedes in 2013 to partner Nico Rosberg. New engine regulations in 2014 established Mercedes as the dominant force; Hamilton won consecutive titles in 2014 and 2015. He secured his fourth and fifth titles in 2017 and 2018 by fighting back from deficits against Sebastian Vettel. In 2019, he won his sixth title, and in 2020, he became the first driver to surpass 100 wins and poles while claiming his seventh championship.

Did You Know?

• At age ten, Hamilton became the youngest driver to win the British cadet karting championship.
• His father took redundancy from his IT manager job and worked up to four jobs at once to fund Lewis's racing career.
• In 2007, Hamilton became the first black driver to compete in Formula One at the Australian Grand Prix.
• He was knighted in the 2021 New Year Honours — the honour was granted by Queen Elizabeth II, but the ceremony was conducted by Prince Charles.
• Hamilton broke the all-time win record at the Portuguese Grand Prix in 2020, surpassing Michael Schumacher's previous mark.